


Tightrope

by 96jeu



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Attempt at Humor, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Jeon Wonwoo-centric, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sexuality Crisis, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, i suck at tagging pls help me, mundane!meanie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-04-29 00:17:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14460942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/96jeu/pseuds/96jeu
Summary: "some people would say that they'd take a bullet for you, hyung. but they wouldn't make any sense because who could ever point a gun at someone as good as you are?""so instead of claiming that," mingyu says, pausing to stare intently at wonwoo's eyes, "i'd be a clown, i'd be a clown and walk a tightrope just to get to you."----------wonwoo's pretty sure that mingyu's the most spontaneous boy he's ever met, he's also sure that he loves him all the same.





	1. -hand in my hand and we promised to never let go-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi... okay this is my debut meanie fic on ao3... 
> 
> i'm excited because this fic has been such an enjoyable journey for me, i hope you enjoy it as well!!!
> 
> \- fic playlist -
> 
> tightrope - michelle williams  
> never enough - loren allred  
> rewrite the stars - zac efron and zendaya  
> a million dreams - hugh jackman
> 
> so basically this fic is fueled by the greatest showman but is nothing like it... still, give it some love!

**"hand in my hand and**  
**we promised to never let go"**

Mingyu and Wonwoo were 7 and 8 when it began.

Mingyu's curiosity got the best of him as he looked up to the abandoned mansion, the older boy beside him watching in silence as Mingyu tries to suppress his awe for the horror in front of him.

"Hyung! Let's go inside!" Mingyu whispers with all the subtlety an excited seven year-old can find.

"I don't think we should," Wonwoo says with caution, "the gates are locked, we might not be allowed inside."

"Nobody lives here anymore!" Mingyu pouts, trying to reason with the older because he truly, _truly_ wanted to know what's inside.

"But—" Wonwoo hesitantly starts, now looking up at the mansion as well; he can see the vines crawling up its walls, looking like veins containing blood and distributing it around the house, he feels like the house is alive, that it will devour them, he even thinks that the portion of the sky above the house is a shade darker than the rest.

"But what, hyung?" Mingyu questions, putting all of his attention to Wonwoo, determined to convince him to change his mind.

"There might be ghosts..." Wonwoo mumbles, embarrassed about his fears, he already told Mingyu that he didn't believe in ghosts even though he certainly did.

"Huh? I didn't hear you."

Mingyu wasn't teasing him, but the red blooming on Wonwoo's face came from him thinking he was.

"There might be ghosts, Mingyu." Wonwoo says, louder this time, facing Mingyu with a blushing face and glassy eyes.

Mingyu gasped, he didn't want his hyung to cry, "Hyung! You shouldn't be scared of ghosts! You have me. I'll protect you." The younger boy puffs his chest out and tries to look as tough as possible, it made Wonwoo smile.

Wonwoo wiped at his nose, "Really?"

"Yeah! I can even hold your hand while we walk."

That was enough to convince young Wonwoo.

Climbing up the gate was the most difficult thing young Mingyu ever did, coaxing Wonwoo to do the same comes second, and urging him to go further towards the house comes third; it being made easier by sliding their palms together and pulling forward.

"Come on, hyung!"

Mingyu drags Wonwoo by the hand towards the massive oak doors of the mansion. Wonwoo pales at the sight, "If the door is locked, we're going back."

The door wasn't locked, much to Mingyu's amusement. Inside, they found that it wasn't as dark as Wonwoo had imagined, but rather, a bit bright, for the walls were lined with tinted glass mosaics that caught Mingyu's eyes.

He tightened his grip at the older as he looked up at the art above him, this caught Wonwoo's attention, causing him to look up as well,

"Wow."

"Yeah."

There were no words to describe their awe at the sight in front of them, and Mingyu briefly wonders why the owners had left this place; if it were up to him, he would stay here for as long as he could.

Mingyu wanted to wander around. And wander he did, pulling Wonwoo along behind him.  
They discovered a grand staircase leading up to a floor holding a vast number of bedrooms—most of which are locked—they opened the all the doors they could, though, playing with the things they found inside.

One room contained paintings that looked so realistic, the artist in little Wonwoo's heart decided that going inside wasn't a bad idea after all.

There was a painting of a rose encased in a glass dome, _like Beauty and the Beast_ , young Wonwoo thought, as he raised a finger towards a painted petal.

Mingyu watched him do this, also taking in the beauty of the painting himself, and he lets himself be dragged by Wonwoo as he pulls the younger boy towards a different painting.

It was a painting of a princess.

Well, truthfully, it was just a painting of a young girl wearing an overflowing gown, but that's as close as it can get to the description of a princess in the boy's mind, so a princess it was.

Wonwoo was taking in the detail of the painting when he felt Mingyu detach his hand from him, and he froze, thinking the younger had abandoned him. But the small sounds of 'Wow... this is so cool!' coming close behind him gave him ease again.

Wonwoo had moved to another painting when suddenly Mingyu called out, "Hyung, look!"

He turned to look at him, and was greeted with Mingyu trying to imitate the face of a caricature, making him laugh out loud, "Mingyu, you look ridiculous!"

"Oh, yeah? Bet you won't look any better!" Mingyu scrunches his face, taunting Wonwoo.

"Why would I even want to do that?" Wonwoo huffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mingyu pulls one side of his lips up, "Oh? So you're a loser?"

Wonwoo, with force of peer pressure multiplied by pride, ends up screaming, "To you? No way!" And he finds a painting of a small cherub, imitating the way it looked towards the light above like it was it's saving grace.

Mingyu's laugh bubbles through the air, filling it with a childish carelessness that engulfs Wonwoo like a hug, and he laughs along before he imitates the painting again.

Mingyu giggles, "Good one, hyung," He turns around to look for a face to copy, when he seems to have found one, he smiles at Wonwoo, "my turn."

Wonwoo follows Mingyu with his eyes as he walks towards something covered by a white sheet; he can't see what's behind it in this perspective, so he anticipates what kind of funny face Mingyu is about to pull off.

Mingyu pulls the sheet away from the painting, and Wonwoo stares at the image before averting his eyes towards Mingyu, doubling over with laughter.

Stood beside Mingyu was a painting of a little black demon with its fangs bared, and Mingyu must've thought that it'd be perfect to copy because his canines were enough to substitute for fangs.

But the painting looks horribly scary, and Mingyu only ends up looking adorable.

Wonwoo has tears in his eyes.

Mingyu keeps baring his teeth out more, his canines poking out a bit more because of the gap his front teeth left when they fell out, and Wonwoo almost grovels on the floor from laughing too hard, which makes Mingyu tuck his little teeth into a pout, "Hyung!"

Wonwoo fake wipes his tears, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... can you do that again?"

"What? This?" Mingyu bares his teeth once again, and Wonwoo wheezes, high-pitched laughter that cuts through the silence of the room.

"Mingyu!" Wonwoo laughs some more, "you look even more ridiculous than earlier!"

Mingyu huffs, "Stop calling me ridiculous!"

The mirth doesn't leave Wonwoo's eyes as he walks towards Mingyu, "Well," He says, pointing to the painting, "if your goal was to copy his face then you should frown a bit more, makes you look scarier I think?"

He follows Wonwoo's advice, again baring his teeth, but adding a small crease to his brow, even a quiet roar; and Wonwoo smiles, it's funny how easily the younger boy obeys him.

"That's better." Wonwoo says.

"Does that mean I win?" Mingyu asks with a tilt of his head, and Wonwoo thinks he looks like a puppy.

"No."

Mingyu scowls at that, and Wonwoo chuckles, "Let me try one more time before we decide who wins." He says, moving around, trying to find something that he can do perfectly.

He walks around the room, peering underneath white sheets covering frames, only to find haphazardly painted flowers and detailed drawings of horses, and he isn't exactly talented enough to start copying a horse's expression, so he keeps looking.

Wonwoo ends up circling back to the painting of the rose, and his face brightens up as he gets an idea. Bringing his wrists together, he places his face on his open palms and smiles, eyes forming little crescents.

An eyebrow was raised towards him as Mingyu pouts at what he was doing; he was staring the older boy down, trying to scrutinize him, and with a shake of his head he says, "I still win."

Wonwoo keeps his head on his hands and smiles even sweeter than before, "No you don't."

"Yes I do!"

"No you don't!" Wonwoo almost screams, before regaining his composure, "it takes a lot of skill to copy a flower, I win."

"But it's not about skill!"

"What do you mean it's not abou-"

"It's about how funny you are!" Mingyu says with finality.

"You're only saying that because I laughed at your face!"

This shuts Mingyu up, and he pouts even more, there might even be tears welling in his eyes, before he sheepishly rubs at them with the back of his hand, "Fine. You win."

Wonwoo steps closer to him, worried that he made the other boy mad, "Mingyu..."

"...but only because you were a cute flower."

Wonwoo halts his steps, snorting as he throws his head back and laughs at the younger's shenanigans, before taking his hand and pulling him towards the door to get out of the room, "We can both be winners, Mingyu."

The boy nods, "Okay."

 

* * *

 

The two end up wandering the colorful halls of the abandoned house, trying to push open each door they pass.

They get to see a toy storage, with plenty of ancient toys made from wood, and dolls with sheep fleece as its fabric, dirtied by the time it spent on the shelves unattended.

Mingyu jumps as he tries to take a nutcracker toy from its shelf, and Wonwoo stands a few feet away, eyeing the dust collecting on the toy, afraid of the possible allergy attack it might give him.

When Mingyu successfully gets the toy, he walks over to a window and wipes it on the curtain hanging from it, which, young Wonwoo thinks, is both disrespectful and counterproductive.

The curtain was probably dirty too, anyway.

Judgement leaves Wonwoo's eyes though, when the surprisingly clean toy is handed to him by Mingyu, "This is you," Mingyu says, curling Wonwoo's hand on the toy he offered, "and this is me." He pulls his other hand from behind him and shows a little Babushka doll, all clean too.

They end up playing pretend, Wonwoo's nutcracker toy being the hero that rescues Mingyu's Babushka doll and her sons from the evil stuffed doll, Marinella.

Marinella keeps the Babushka dolls behind her giant form, and the nutcracker raises its tiny sword at it, yelling, "Off with your head, Marinella!"

Wonwoo was really getting into the game, until Mingyu asked, "Off with your head?"

"Huh?"

"Off with your head?" Mingyu tilts his head, _again_ , "what does it mean?"

"I don't know," Wonwoo shrugs, "I heard it from this old movie mommy and daddy were watching. The people in it were fighting too..."

"Oh."

"Yep." Wonwoo says, again raising his toy's sword, "so, off with your head, Marinella!"

The nutcracker almost loses to Marinella, nearly getting trampled by her giant paws. But little Marinella still tumbles down, though.

By the force of Wonwoo's sneeze pushing at her.

"Oh no. " Mingyu voices out, before he takes Wonwoo's hand, dragging him up from the floor.

"What?" Wonwoo asks.

"Let's get out of here hyung," Mingyu offers, "before you get an attack."

"I'm fine, Mingyu." Wonwoo says, but he still stands up.

And so, they leave the Babushka doll and her sons behind a Marinella who is now lying down, guarded by the nutcracker that doesn't dare move, unlike in that one movie.

 

* * *

 

Wonwoo does get an attack.

He's sneezing up a fit while they're in the master's bedroom. All because a stubborn Mingyu couldn't hold himself from jumping on the bed, sending clouds of dust blasting towards a poor Wonwoo nearby.

"Hyung," Mingyu says, holding Wonwoos face in his chubby hands, Wonwoo's trying so hard not to sneeze on his face, "oh no, your eyes are tearing up, I'm sorry."

"Pweaj wet gwo of mwy feysh, Mingwu," Wonwoo says, closing his eyes "I'm gwonna shneesh."

Mingyu lets go of Wonwoo's face immediately, and the boy sneezes towards the ground.

Mingyu counts one, two, three, four ( _oh no when will it stop_ ), five sneezes, and then there's a pause.

Six.

Wonwoo sneezed six times within less than a minute, and the worry is evident on Mingyu's face. He wants to get out now more than he did in the toy room, so he does, taking Wonwoo's hand and pulling him out the door.

Wonwoo sneezes one more time, and out towards the hallway they go, again.

 

* * *

 

The two find plenty of trinkets in their venture; they saw golden spoons and little clocks and more Babushka dolls, playing with them as they go by.

The boys returned the trinkets to where they found them when they were done, of course, both children having enough decency to not steal from an unguarded place.

That is, except, for a music box that Mingyu found in the music room.

Abandoned instruments lay around everywhere, and the two boys playfully pressed on the keys of a piano pushed against a wall, not knowing what to do with all the other instruments present in the room.

Mingyu turns to examine the place and finds that there is more to it than just the piano, so he walks around.

Light peeked through the small gaps of the curtain hanging from the window, striking something perched upon a glass cupboard, once again igniting the curiosity of young Mingyu.

He pulls Wonwoo with him as he reaches out to take it, carefully opening the cupboard in case it were brittle, and placing the thing on a table on the side.

It was a box.

Not just any box, though. It was a pretty silver box roughly the size of Wonwoo's hand, with engravings on the side—although minimally rusted—and it had a handle. When you open it, there are some things inside that the two young boys didn't know the purpose of.

Mingyu is one for tinkering. So he takes the handle and pushes at it.

The moment he turned the knob and the subdued music came out from the box, he saw Wonwoo's eyes sparkle in delight. Mingyu watched as Wonwoo marveled at the small thing, a kind of light behind his eyes as he watches the pins on the revolving cylinder hit the teeth and create a tune.

A single, surprised breath escapes his lips as the lamellae misses a note, and it turns into a soft giggle as he takes the box from Mingyu's hands to turn the knob himself.

The music starts to repeat from the beginning and Wonwoo plays with the speed of the music with the handle, the smile still on his face, getting bigger—nose scrunching up—when the thing misses a note again.

Mingyu thought that if this was able to give him that much joy, then he was willing to give it to him as a gift, even if he never owned it in the first place.

So he slips it in his right pocket when Wonwoo takes his left hand to leave the room.

 

* * *

 

"Hyung," Mingyu calls out.

They were currently walking through the halls again, but Mingyu is sure that this isn't the same hallway, "shouldn't we be going that way?"

Wonwoo looks towards where Mingyu was pointing to, "No, I'm pretty sure it's here."

Mingyu looks around, his eyebrows furrowed with worry, until he feels Wonwoo squeeze his hand.

"Trust me."

"Okay."

Turns out, Wonwoo _was_ right. Because a few seconds of walking later they get to see the glass mosaics on the ceiling again, and Mingyu's relief comes off him in waves.

Knowing that they're in a _somehow_ safe place now, Mingyu stops walking, making Wonwoo look at him like _'what are you doing?'_

"I have something for you." Mingyu tentatively says, palming the box in his pocket, Wonwoo narrows his eyes at him.

Mingyu breathes out heavily, before pulling out the music box from his pocket and pushing his hands towards Wonwoo.

Wonwoo frowns, "Mingyu, no."

"Come on, hyung..."

"We're not stealing from here!"

"Please?" Mingyu pleads, pushing it towards Wonwoo's arms that are now crossed over his chest, "I saw how happy you looked when we used it..."

"Mingyu..."

"Just this one," Mingyu quickly says, "just as a remembrance of this place." He adds, stuttering at _remembrance_.

Wonwoo frowns, not wanting to take anything here, but Mingyu was right. He really was happy when he saw it, he thought it was one of the most amazing things he'd seen.

So he extends his hands, tutting at Mingyu's excited way of placing the box in it, "Just this one."

"Promise." Mingyu says, drawing an x over his heart.

Mingyu smiles as he watches Wonwoo slip the small box into his left pocket and slides their palms together again, walking towards the staircase.

It should all be smooth sailing there, but Mingyu's gut feeling was _right._

They were supposed to go around the other side.

The east wing of the second floor had some faulty flooring, and Mingyu was unlucky enough to step on a loose plank, and his foot slips through.

Wonwoo nearly has a heart attack.

"Mingyu!" He tightens his grip on the younger and pulls him upward, the squeals of the younger disturbing him. Mingyu's right leg was almost halfway through the hole in the floor.

"Hyung!" Mingyu cries, as in, literally cries. It makes Wonwoo panic.

"It's okay, Mingyu, calm down, I got you." He says holding on tighter, the weight of the music box in his pocket forgotten as he focuses on saving the younger.

"Okay, okay. Okay." Mingyu chant's, trying to pull himself up with his left leg, to no avail, "Hyung, I'm stuck!"

Wonwoo lets go of Mingyu's hand then, instead crouching forward in front of him and wrapping his arms around the other, encouraging him to do the same, "C'mon, Mingyu! It's easier like this!"

Mingyu sobs as he throws his arms over  Wonwoo's shoulder, and Wonwoo was right, it _is_ easier this way, because Wonwoo is able to pull the younger boy up within seconds.

Mingyu doesn't let go, crying on his hyung as he feels a dull ache on the center of his femur.

"Shh... shh..." Wonwooo tries to calm him, and then tries to disentangle the boy from him, which he refuses to do, "let me look at your leg, Mingyu."

Mingyu sniffles, and reluctantly pulls away, watching as Wonwoo carefully crouches down  and folds his pants up to inspect his leg. He finds that there is a bruise blooming on his calf and at the front of his lower leg.

Wonwoo pouts up at Mingyu, "Will you be ok to walk?"

Mingyu refuses to answer, instead just staring at the floor, and Wonwoo lightly nudges him, "Mingyu..."

Mingyu nods, then, wiping his nose with his hand. Wonwoo puts his arm over his shoulders to assist him on walking.

They walk the rest of the east wing with stealth, avoiding every loose floorboard, and panicking mildly when something creaks underneath them.

Once they cross, they go down the grand staircase quickly, and pull the oak doors open once more to leave the place.

Wonwoo reaches into his left pocket, and curls his fingers around the box, just in case it wasn't there anymore.

It's a good thing it was. Still there.

Wonwoo half carries Mingyu over the gate, and once they get over it, He turns towards the younger boy to glare at him.

"Let's never do that again." Wonwoo doubles his glare at Mingyu's pout, "Ever."

"But hyung..."

"Mingyu."

"I want to go on an adventure with you again!"

Wonwoo groans, "You almost got killed!"

"No I didn't! I just wasn't careful! I'll be more careful next time, promise!"

"Whatever," Wonwoo says, throwing Mingyu's arms over his shoulders again, "let's just get home."

"Okay." Mingyu says.

The walk towards Mingyu's place was quiet but in the middle of it, Mingyu murmurs "I'm sorry, hyung..."

"Huh? For what?"

"For worrying you."

"Ah," Wonwoo says, hauling Mingyu's arm up on his shoulders again, "you're fine now, aren't you? That's all that matters."

"Yeah, and I can walk properly," Mingyu remarks, "so you can let go of me now."

"Not happening."

 

* * *

 

They walk like that, with Mingyu being assisted by Wonwoo, until Mingyu's house is in sight, because by then, Mingyu _begs_ Wonwoo to let him go, or his mom might get too worried about him for nothing.

"For nothing?" Wonwoo says, "you have two big bruises on one leg!"

"Yeah but they're nothing..."

"Mingy-"

"Hyung, please."

So Wonwoo, although reluctant, lets him go.

They're greeted by Mingyu's mom on their lawn as they walk side by side.

"Where have you two been?" Mingyu's mom asks, "and why are you so filthy, sweetheart?"

Mingyu looks towards Wonwoo and smiles, seeing his left hand buried in his pocket and just _knowing_ that it's clutched around the little box, "Just out, momma." He then smiles towards her.

Mingyu's mom shifts her gaze from Mingyu, then to Wonwoo then back again, "Okay, as long as you're safe," She pushes Mingyu towards their door, "but you have to take a bath, son. You're covered in dust!" She says, wiping at his cheeks.

"Okay, ma!" Mingyu says, pushing his mom's hands away and turning around.

Mingyu walks towards their door and Wonwoo just stands there, looking at him. Mingyu reaches the first step to their house, ready to go in, but not without turning around and waving to Wonwoo.

"Let's go again next time, hyung!"

Wonwoo waves back, a timid smile on his face "Okay..."

"Good." Mingyu grins at him, before running inside the house.

Mingyu's mom smiles at Wonwoo before ruffling his hair, "You get home safe now, Wonwoo, okay?"

"Yes, auntie." He smiles back at her, and she pats his head.

"Tell your mom I said hi!"

"I will, auntie! Good evening." He says, bowing towards her before turning around to walk away.

"Good evening to you too, Won!"

 

* * *

 

When Wonwoo gets home, his mom fusses over him as much as Mingyu's mom did with Mingyu, telling him to take a shower and change in his pajamas before eating dinner.

He takes the music box out of his pocket, studying it and its details, before placing it on his bedside table and leaving to take a shower.

His mom asks what he and Mingyu did today, and he kept his answer simple, saying they had an 'adventure'. His mom just smiles, saying that she hopes they had fun.

Wonwoo smiles back and tells her that they did.

When Wonwoo lays in his bed that night, he stares at the new addition to his room, one that will serve as his company while he sleeps, it catches the moonlight.

 _It looks as pretty as it sounds_ , he thinks.

And without much effort, he starts to think of the person he found it with as well.

There comes a time in your life when you realize that there are people who will warrant your adoration without having to force it out of you, and at 8 years-old, Jeon Wonwoo decided that Kim Mingyu was gonna be that person for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't like kids but i'm good with them. i hope im just as good in characterizing them here.
> 
> see u guys in the next chapter!


	2. -all that will come in between-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> favorite subject. 
> 
> (math, science, or language? 'why not all?', says mingyu)

**"mountains and valleys and**  
**all that will come in between"**

 

"But I think," Mingyu's chewing on some chips as they lounge in Wonwoo's living room, talking about his love for science in correlation to his collection of almanacs since the year 2003, a neglected anime playing in the background, "once we have science subjects, it'll be my favorite. For now, it's language."

Wonwoo looks up from his book, "What about math?"

"Math is meh," Mingyu shrugs, digging his hand into the bag of chips again, "I don't find addition window cards interesting." He says before shoving a handful of chips into his mouth, chewing loudly.

Mingyu's chewing habit drives Wonwoo up the wall. It takes a lot of self-control for the nine year-old boy to not throw the book in his hands at Mingyu's head.

"Chew with your mouth closed, Mingyu." Wonwoo warns, "Also, window cards isn't the only thing in math."

"Well, it's all we do," Mingyu shrugs again, "it's boring."

"Okay, genius." Wonwoo sarcastically says, doing an 'ok' sign by holding three fingers up, Mingyu does mocking gestures beside him, causing some chips to fly out his mouth.

Wonwoo grimaces, before he adds, "But since you'll be in grade 3 this year, you'll finally have science subjects."

The silence is almost palpable, as Mingyu mulls over Wonwoo's words. When the information finally seems to sink in, he makes a weird noise of approval.

"I'm excited!" Mingyu squeals, leaving no trace of the low-key arrogant boy he was earlier.

"When are you not?" Wonwoo snarkily remarks, burying his nose into his book once more, trying to finish the chapter he's at.

That is, until, he's greeted by a face full of Mingyu.

Mingyu's grinning as he stares up at Wonwoo with eyes sparkling with curiosity, hugging at his hyung's waist and trapping him when Wonwoo tries to wriggle away with his book, "What do they teach first, hyung? In science class?"

"I don't know," Wonwoo grunts, trying to make Mingyu let go of him by pushing his arms down, it only makes the younger hold on tighter, "I forgot. Let me go, Mingyu. I'm trying to read!"

"C'mon, hyung!" Mingyu whines, "I'm sure you remember some things, do they teach us about photosynthesis?"

Wonwoo stops squirming, glaring at Mingyu's puppy like expression, before sighing through his nose and putting his book down on the coffee table in front of them, "I don't think so. I'm betting most of your classmates don't even know how to _pronounce_ photosynthesis, all those books you read are too advanced!"

"You read them too!"

"Exactly!" Wonwoo says, finally succeeding in untangling Mingyu from his torso, "but I'm already going to fourth grade, and you to third, yet you know as much as I do. You nerd."

He's only teasing the younger, because more often than not, he's actually amazed by how smart Mingyu is. The boy could probably take advanced classes and still ace them, heck, he could probably do better than Wonwoo in _his_ subjects.

But being the petulant child he is, Mingyu takes the remark as an insult. Turning away from Wonwoo with furrowed brows and crossing his arms with a huff, before raising his legs on the coffee table, which makes his pants ride up over his legs, revealing a small scar in the middle of it.

When Mingyu's leg fell through the floor in that mansion a few months back, Wonwoo thought he only endured some bruises. Turns out, Mingyu broke the skin on the front of his lower leg as well; the bruise clotted the blood and prevented it from bleeding, which is why Wonwoo overlooked the wound.

And although his dreams were sweet that night, the earful from their parents when morning came left a bitter taste in his and Mingyu's mouths. Telling them that they shouldn't have done dangerous things like that, and that they were lucky that the injuries were minimal.

Wonwoo had quite a scare when his mom mentioned how hard it is to find a missing body.

The little boys' apologies were said with their heads hung low, vowing to both of their parents that they wouldn't do it again. Mingyu drawing a little x over his heart like how he did in front of Wonwoo, and Wonwoo quietly inspecting the yellow-green bruise surrounding a nearly brown wound.

If Wonwoo had the music box, the scar that made itself present after the wound healed and the bruise subsided was Mingyu's piece of remembrance for that place.

Wonwoo stares at the scar, before poking at it with his forefinger, which makes Mingyu grumble and pull his leg back, "Don't touch me..." The younger boy says with a pout.

"Quit being a big baby."

"I'm not a big baby!" Mingyu almost yells at Wonwoo, "You're just being a meanie! I don't like you."

Wonwoo's taken aback by his outburst for a moment, but he finds entertainment in this.

For a smart kid, Mingyu's so _whiny_.

Even now, as the forgotten bag of chips serves as a divider for the two of them, Mingyu's  _still_ refusing to look at him.

Wonwoo takes the bag away and places it on the coffee table with his book, before beginning to pester the younger boy by poking at him.

"Hey."

Wonwoo pokes at the back facing him.

"Go away."

"Hey."

Wonwoo pokes at Mingyu's arm.

No response.

Wonwoo does this a couple more times, all getting the same response, or no response at all.

But, Wonwoo's not Mingyu's best friend for nothing. He knows the boy's weakness.

He's incredibly ticklish.

"I didn't want to do this," Wonwoo breathes, "but you left me with no choice." He says, before poking at Mingyu's sides.

It finally, _finally_ gets him a different response: a squeal of laughter.

"AHA!" Wonwoo says, before continuing his attack on Mingyu's sides.

"Stop!" Mingyu says, and they end up wrestling each other on the couch, Wonwoo having the upper hand after rendering Mingyu weak by his tickling.

Wonwoo dances his fingers at Mingyu's sides and the younger boy pushes them away, laughing all the while, but Wonwoo was determined to break him; tickling him more as he squirms and tries to escape.

This causes the two to fall off the couch with thud, Mingyu's loud, high-pitched laughter filling the living room as Wonwoo continues his assault on him, "You don't get to ignore me in my own house!"

Mingyu was tearing up, repeatedly saying, "Hyung! Please stop!"

It's only when Mingyu accidentally kicks at the coffee table, which makes it scratch across the wooden floors, that Wonwoo slows down. Mingyu swiftly scoots himself away from him just a fraction of an inch, but Wonwoo won't let him budge.

"I said stop!" Mingyu screams, his voice taking on an angry tone as he lay beneath Wonwoo, heaving and helpless to the attack he's receiving on his sides.

Wonwoo does stop, staring at the look on Mingyu's face, before trying to soften his expression into one of fondness, "Are you really mad?"

Wonwoo tilts his head, staring down at Mingyu, trying to break down his furious façade, "Because I just remembered what they taught us in science class for third grade. I'm willing to share, now."

Mingyu frowns up at him, and their stare-off lasts a few seconds before Mingyu breaks it.

With a pout still on his face, he says, "My foot hurts."

Wonwoo smiles at him, a wide grin accompanied by a scrunching of his nose, "Big baby," He says, before getting off of him and holding out his hand to help him stand up, Mingyu's still frowning at him, so he adds, "do you think ice cream will make it better?"

 

* * *

 

The two end up consuming all of the ice cream in Wonwoo's fridge, resulting to a disapproving look on his mom's face when she catches the both of them eating the last few scoops of the dessert from the kitchen doorway.

"You kids have no idea how easy it is to catch a cold by eating that, do you?" Wonwoo's mom warns, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Actually..." Mingyu starts, putting his spoon down; Wonwoo widens his eyes and nudges him on his side, effectively stopping him from his possible scientific rant.

This makes Mingyu look at Wonwoo with a wince, and the latter just glares at him. When Wonwoo's mom tries to reaffirm what Mingyu's saying, he just replies with a little mumble of, "Nothing."

"What are you two doing downstairs, anyway?" Wonwoo's mom asks.

"Watching anime," Wonwoo shrugs, "DVD player upstairs won't work."

"Oh," Mrs. Jeon says, "we have to get that replaced then."

Mingyu nods at this, acting cute to distract Wonwoo's mom from the fact that he ate the last spoonful of ice cream in his bowl, "We were talking about school too!" He says with enthusiasm, ice cream still in his mouth.

"Don't talk when your mouth is full, Mingyu," Mrs. Jeon chastises and Mingyu covers his mouth, nodding.

She smiles at him, leans her hip against the counter and asks, "It's your summer vacation, why are you two even talking about school?"

"He's curious about his science classes." Wonwoo provides, pointing his spoon at Mingyu, who was moving to wipe his lips with the collar of his shirt; and Mrs. Jeon damn near squeals in trying to stop him, grabbing the hand that was holding on to his shirt before pulling it away from his face and handing him a paper towel, making wiping motions over her lips while narrowing her eyes at the boy.

Wonwoo giggles. It's really obvious where he gets his cleanliness from, and he can't help but feel a little sorry for Mingyu every time he comes over, having to deal with two people who aren't on par with his mussy habits; so he takes Mingyu's bowl and rinses it out for him together with his own, before putting it in the dishwasher below the sink.

Mrs. Jeon smiles at her son, proud of his initiative to wash their dishes, and she pats her son's head when he walks back to the kitchen counter.

Actually, Wonwoo's just trying to get Mingyu away from his mom's fussing, grabbing the younger boy's hand and pulling until he hops down from the stool, "We're going upstairs, mom... I'll show him my science notebooks!"

"Do you know where to look for them?"

"In the container under my bed. Yes, mom!" Wonwoo yells from the kitchen doorway, Mingyu in tow.

"Alright, don't run up the stairs, Wonwoo!" She yells back after noticing the pace at which Wonwoo approached the stairs, giving Mingyu a small smile when she sees him waving at her with the hand that wasn't held by Wonwoo's.

"Ok, ma!"

When Wonwoo and Mingyu are concealed by the staircase, he turns.

"Sorry about mom..." He says, giving Mingyu's hand a gentle squeeze.

Mingyu squeezes back, "Don't worry, I'm used to it." He says, his smile mischievous, and Wonwoo narrows his eyes at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mingyu giggles, "Nothing."

 

* * *

 

"Oh," Wonwoo starts, flipping through the science notebook he just dug up, his slightly messy handwriting telling him that the auditory nerve connects the brain to the inner ear and helps transmit sound toward it, "your lessons start with the senses..."

"Seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and feeling. Done! Anything else?" Mingyu recites quickly, having memorized the sequence from the kids' almanac he brought with him once, Wonwoo snorts at him.

"Know it all," He says, before turning the notebook so Mingyu could read it, "how about these? You familiar with what these are?" He points at a drawing of an eye with 'optical nerve' scribbled beside it.

Staring at the page, Mingyu lets the words filter through him, trying to make sense of all of it, when nothing seems to ring a bell, he looks back up at Wonwoo, his eyes screaming for help.

"What's an o-olfactory nerve?" Mingyu stutters, there was nothing wrong with his ability to read, it's just that his lisp often prevented him from pronouncing words right sometimes, even those without the letter 's' in them.

"I had a hard time with that too," Wonwoo says, before moving to plop down beside Mingyu on the bed so they can see the notebook's contents together, "it's just a fancy name for the smelling nerve."

Mingyu makes a sound of approval, and they resume skimming though Wonwoo's notebook, Mingyu stopping at certain pages to read when something pricks his interest.

The mention of outer space, for example.

"Hyung! You were taught about space?" Mingyu says, excitement laced with his tone. He starts to read the pages with the phases of the moon illustrated in them, taking more time in looking at said pages than the others.

"Yeah, but not in detail, though. Mostly just about the Sun and the Moon." Wonwoo points at a photo that shows a solar eclipse.

"What about the planets?" Mingyu starts flipping recklessly through the pages, trying to find a hint of his favorite planet, Mars, in it.

"Not yet, Mingyu," Wonwoo shakes his head, stopping Mingyu before he rips a page from his notebook, "You're way ahead of them."

"That sucks." Mingyu says, before he resumes reading about the sun's corona.

When he's done, he flips through the notebook again, trying to find something that might be difficult for him to absorb.

He ends up circling back to the page of the lesson for senses, and when Mingyu reads the word olfactory, he looks towards Wonwoo and sighs.

"Hyung, I think I'm gonna have a hard time with this one." Mingyu says, staring at the drawing of the inner ear, then shifting his gaze to the drawing of the nose and scrunching his face into a scowl.

"Just remember, when you think olfactory, you think old factory," Wonwoo smiles, "and old factories smell bad, they smell. That should remind you that olfactory nerve is for the nose."

Mingyu stares at him like he grew a second head, which he might as well have; because although what he said helped, it probably helped because of how hard it is to forget about it.

Which _was_ the goal, but that's beside the point.

"You have a weird way of memorizing things, hyung..." Mingyu trails off, touching his pointer finger over the page, "I wonder why this wasn't included in my almanacs."

"You probably just missed it," Wonwoo shrugs, "those books are so thick, it’s possible for you to not pay attention to a couple of pages."

Mingyu juts his lower lip out and raises his eyebrows in understanding, before adjusting his position on his stomach comfortably, aiming to study about his future lessons diligently.

Just then, a knock on the door sounds, and Wonwoo's mom pokes her head through it a few seconds later, "Are you kids hungry? I brought some snacks."

Wonwoo smiles at her before nodding, Mingyu does the same.

"Good. Here, have some cookies." She walks toward the two and stops at Wonwoo's bedside table, placing a plate full of cookies there, "Do you want some milk, as well?"

"No thanks, mom."

"Yes please, auntie."

The two say at the same time, before looking at each other and laughing.

Mrs. Jeon shakes her head at them, chuckling before saying, "You know what, I'll just bring two glasses of milk up here. You need it anyway, Wonwoo."

Mingyu laughs, and Wonwoo makes an indignant sound, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The sound of his mom's voice is muffled by the door, and Wonwoo can't help but remember the teasing glint in Mingyu's eyes when his mother echoes what his reply was earlier, "Nothing."

 

* * *

 

Bright yellow leaves littered the ground on the first day of school, signaling the premature arrival of autumn and, simultaneously, the new academic year.

Mingyu and Wonwoo walk along the defoliation with their parents behind them, brown boots cutting through striking yellow.

They're oblivious to the contrast, though, for as excited as Mingyu is for his new lessons, was he equally anxious about them.

So he takes it upon himself and holds Wonwoo's hand to ease his mind, keeping his grip steady on the older as they get closer to their destination.

The occasional squeeze Wonwoo gives to Mingyu's hand is enough confirmation that he gets what the younger is feeling, offering him a sense of comfort.

Mingyu and Wonwoo walk to their school wearing jackets with hot packs stocked in the pockets, because the chilly wind would bite at your skin had it caught you unprotected, but the warmth that Wonwoo feels with Mingyu beside him, hands clasped together, was more than what those hot packs could provide.

He lets his other hand dangle freely at his side.

 

* * *

 

When Wonwoo finishes his last class for the day, he walks out the school gates, expecting a Kim Mingyu already waiting for him there. He isn't disappointed when he sees him sitting in the waiting shed, and he jogs his way towards him.

"Hyung!" Mingyu calls out, raising an arm to wave at him before bringing it down to pat on the seat beside him.

"Bus still isn't here?" Wonwoo asks, taking a seat. The two take the school bus together on their way home, both of their parents occupied with work and unable to pick them up personally; unlike in the mornings where they walk together with them because their workplace takes the same route as the school.

"Nope, it'll probably be here in a minute though." 

They sit like that for a while, staring ahead at the houses in front of the shed, watching some leaves being blown away by the wind. Wonwoo breaks the silence by asking how Mingyu's first day went.

"Oh, it went great." Mingyu says, picking at the paint that was chipping on the seats, "I told the teacher that I liked science when I introduced myself."

"Really?" Wonwoo asks, "What did the teacher say?"

"She said it was great to have someone with an interest in science in her class, says she might make me a contestant for quiz bees or something," Mingyu shrugs, "she might just be joking, though, I dunno."

"But what if she isn't?" Wonwoo tilts his head, "Are you willing to join stuff like that?"

"Yeah. Definitely." Mingyu smiles at him, and the sound of the bus pulling up in front of them cuts their conversation short.

"C'mon, hyung." Mingyu says, taking Wonwoo's hand in his and walking towards the bus.

They sit near the front, Wonwoo letting Mingyu take the seat near the window because he knows that the other will start sulking if he didn't.

"How about yours, hyung? How was your first day?" Mingyu asks, playing with Wonwoo's fingers. Wonwoo stares at this, the way Mingyu tugs and touches every single fingertip.

"It went okay, I guess," Wonwoo says, eyes still on their intertwined hands, "teacher made us write an essay about summer break, as usual."

Wonwoo looks out the window, the discoloration of leaves from greens to oranges and yellows a clear indication that this year's summer has come and passed.

But his and Mingyu's skin still carry a golden hue that says their time together in the summer sun isn't ready to leave them just yet, Wonwoo thinks he isn't, either.

"I'm sure you enjoyed it," Mingyu breaks his train of thought, "writing, I mean."

"The writing I enjoyed, but the topic? Not so much." Wonwoo says, wincing when Mingyu pulls too hard at his pinky.

"Why not?" Mingyu pouted, "Didn't you enjoy summer? You were with me the whole time!"

Wonwoo laughs at this, classic Mingyu, taking offense at the slightest implications, "No, you dummy."

Mingyu pouts even more, and Wonwoo chuckles before pulling his hands away from Mingyu to squeeze his cheeks.

"I mean, I enjoyed summer." Wonwoo says, letting go of Mingyu's face because it was slowly turning red, the boy was whining too much, as well, "It's just, we do that every time school starts, you know? Write about our summer vacation as if the teacher is really interested in what happened then. It gets annoying."

Mingyu purses his lips, holding his cheeks with both hands and massaging them

"I guess you're right..." Mingyu says, "We did write an essay too... you _are_ right!"

Wonwoo smiles at the younger's tone. Why does Mingyu have to talk to Wonwoo like he gives him all the right answers at the right time? It makes him feel special.

"I liked it though, writing about summer!" Mingyu says with the ever present smile on his face, "I got to write about playing videogames at your place and eating cookies in the middle of the afternoon, and playing with water guns in our backyard, and going to the beach with our families, and—and going to that mansion!"

Wonwoo snorts at Mingyu's blabbering, but he appreciates the fact that, yeah, he did spend most of his summer with this kid, and he and Mingyu value that time equally.

"I enjoyed my summer with you, hyung." Mingyu smiles at Wonwoo, but his attention is pulled away from him when the bus comes screeching to a halt, indicating that it's reached one of its stops; Mingyu's stop, to be exact.

"Anyone getting off?" The driver asks, and Mingyu raises his hand, standing up from his seat.

They give each other a hard time with their seating arrangement because Mingyu gets off the bus one stop before Wonwoo, but Wonwoo's fine with it, he just needs to make some room for Mingyu to walk through.

Mingyu's a huge kid, though, and Wonwoo has to stand from his seat just so he can get off.

"You're too big." Wonwoo teases.

"Am not!" Mingyu says, smacking Wonwoo's shoulder, earning a wince from the other, "Oh no, I'm sorry." He says rubbing at Wonwoo's shoulder.

"Dude, I'm okay, the bus driver's waiting for you to get off!" Wonwoo says, laughing when Mingyu hurries along and bows to the driver in apology.

He walks to the door, but doesn't go out without turning to Wonwoo and waving, "See you tomorrow, hyung!"

Wonwoo waves back, "See you!"

Mingyu gets off the bus, and Wonwoo scoots over to where Mingyu was previously sitting near the window.

He watches Mingyu walk the pavement toward his house, the little skip in his step making Wonwoo smile.

"I enjoyed my summer with you too, Mingyu."

 

* * *

 

School went as expected, within the first few weeks, Mingyu already warmed up to the new environment, actually enjoying his lessons, unsurprisingly mastering them with minimal assistance.

He made a new friend too, one he introduced to Wonwoo, his name was Seokmin.

"Did you know that cow farts contribute to the hole in the ozone layer?"

Wonwoo blinks. He didn't know that, to be honest, nor did he want to; but Seokmin was his own brand of odd, and he didn't hold back.

Wide-eyed and taken aback, Wonwoo says, "No, I didn't..." Before holding out his hand for a handshake, "Jeon Wonwoo, I'm in 4th grade..."

He honestly thought that he couldn't be more surprised than he already is, but, boy, was he wrong; because one moment he has Seokmin in front of him... the next?

He has him flush against his chest with his arms around him.

"Wonwoo hyung!" Seokmin has this huge grin on his face, like he's satisfied with himself, "It's nice to meet you!"

Wonwoo looks to Mingyu for help, but he just gives him a thumbs-up and a smile, so Wonwoo pats Seokmin's back, squeezing him with a hug once  before letting go.

"It's nice to meet you too..."

"So... did you know that there's a lizard that spits blood out of its eyes?"

Seokmin tilts his head at Wonwoo, and Mingyu's distant laughter could be heard from behind him, making Wonwoo laugh along.

"What?" Seokmin looks between the two of them, his eyebrows furrowed.

Mingyu shakes his head and throws his arm over Seokmin's shoulder, "Nothing, you're just really funny."

"Really?"

"Yeah." It was Wonwoo who answered, and he was honest, he hasn't met anyone quite like Seokmin yet. Mingyu might be a genius but he doesn't like blurting out random facts like that for introductions.

Meeting Seokmin was a delight, to say the least. He had a bright smile and a cheerful voice, and he talked to Wonwoo like they've known each other for a long time which made it easier for Wonwoo to warm up to him.

Wonwoo's glad that Mingyu got to meet him, they match really well.

The three started to hang out together, but most of the time it's still just Wonwoo and Mingyu.

One time, they sat on the waiting shed together to wait for the bus, Seokmin's mom not being able to pick him up for the day.

"Why do you guys like holding hands so much?" Seokmin asks, motioning to the way Mingyu and Wonwoo tangled their fingers on Mingyu's lap.

Wonwoo shrugs, "Mingyu likes my hands."

This makes Mingyu turn to him, the look on his face a signal for some upcoming objection, before it softens into something that Wonwoo doesn't know how to describe.

"Yes I do." He says suddenly, turning to Seokmin and holding their intertwined hands up, "Wonwoo hyung's hands are soft." He sticks his tongue out at Seokmin.

Seokmin sticks his tongue out at him as well, before he starts looking sheepish and scratches the back of his neck, "Can I hold his hand too?"

"No."

Seokmin starts whining and Mingyu starts blocking Wonwoo from his sight, and their ruckus makes Wonwoo laugh so hard his stomach starts to hurt.

 

* * *

 

Time flew by quickly, and not for long, they were already at the second quarter of their school year.

The issuance of report cards for the first quarter left neither Mingyu nor Wonwoo disappointed, both of them getting high marks; Mingyu even topping his class.

This, of course, gave the two a surge of excitement for what's to come. It's definitely something, because most of their classmates are ready and just waiting for summer vacation, even if it's still too cold for anything to resemble summer.

Wonwoo and Mingyu walk to school in the beginning of winter, their pinkies linked together while their other hands clutch at the hot packs in their pockets.

It's two degrees outside, it's a terrible idea to walk to school today.

Wonwoo tries to distract himself from the cold, "Mingyu, what's your favorite subject?"

"You already know the answer to that, hyung." Mingyu sends a glance to him, little puffs of smoke coming out of his lips.

"Still the same?"

Mingyu shivers, letting their pinkies go in favor of pressing their palms together, pulling Wonwoo a bit closer before sighing, "I think, it's slowly turning to math."

"Huh? I thought math was 'meh'?"

Mingyu breaks out into a smile.

"Hyung, have you ever tried division window cards?"

"Of course, dummy. I went to third grade too!"

In fact, Wonwoo's memories with said window cards are ones that he'd rather erase, because it includes him still answering the last row even after the teacher's countdown; which ended up in him getting yelled at because he's holding up the distribution of answer sheets.

Yeah, that surely left an impression.

"It's a really fun exercise!" Mingyu says enthusiastically.

"Ok what?" Wonwoo laughs, pushing Mingyu away from him, "You're telling me that you're starting to like math because of window cards? You told me that you didn't like math because the window cards bore you!"

Mingyu shrugs, "Well I enjoy it now, so..."

"You're weird." Wonwoo says, walking ahead of Mingyu, burying both hands in his pockets. He looks up and sees thick clouds peeking through bare tree branches, gray and heavy, but still letting a bit of sunlight pass through.

The feeling of Mingyu hooking their arms together startles him to look down once again, Mingyu's giggling, a mirthful glint in his eyes, "Not as weird as Seokmin."

Wonwoo narrows his eyes at Mingyu's remark before he laughs along, because, yeah, no one can beat Seokmin at that.

 

* * *

 

The two boys continue their routines as they usually would: walk to school together, go to their respective classes, get out of school, and whoever gets out of school first waits for the other in the bus stop, before taking the bus home together.

Wonwoo has gotten used to seeing Mingyu sitting in the waiting shed when he gets out of the gates, so he's taken aback when he doesn't see him one Monday afternoon.

Confused, he moves to take a seat.

Or tries to, at least, because a few seconds later he hears his name being shouted from behind him.

"Hyung! Wonwoo Hyung!"

It was Mingyu, and he was sprinting towards him, huddled up in his thick winter coat and all.

Wonwoo blinks, watching the younger boy, he calls out, "Mingyu, Don't run! It's slippery!"

Mingyu doesn't listen though, and Wonwoo nearly has an aneurysm just watching him run his way through the icy sidewalks.

"Hyung, sorry I'm late...but you won't believe what my teacher just told me!" Mingyu immediately says once he's in front of Wonwoo, panting and nearly splitting his face with how big he's smiling.

"You're not late, bus still isn't here. What did your teacher tell you?"

"Mrs. Park wasn't kidding with what she said before... I'm gonna be a contestant for the science quiz bee! We start training tomorrow!"

"Really?" Wonwoo says, "That's cool! Do you want to, though?"

"Pfft, of course I do!" Mingyu says, "I love science, hyung."

Wonwoo nods, pretending to understand.

For him, it's more than just loving the subject, it's 'are you willing to submit yourself to public humiliation when you get the answers wrong?' or 'are you willing to be in the presence of such a huge crowd? While answering questions?'.

But that's just Wonwoo thinking.

"Yeah, okay." Wonwoo says, and Mingyu frowns at his response.

"Do you not want me to join?" Mingyu says, his voice laced with uncertainty, as if Wonwoo's opinion on whether he joins or not matters.

"What? No! Of course I want you to join, Mingyu." Wonwoo says.

"You didn't seem so happy about it though..."

"I was just thinking about homework," Wonwoo counters, "our teacher gave us a bunch, and it's only the start of the week."

"Yeah... homework sucks," Mingyu mutters, hiding his lip underneath his scarf, then gently grabs Wonwoo's hand and laces their fingers together, "Do you need my help?"

"Oh, no, you haven't learned about it yet." Wonwoo lies, because he doesn't actually have any homework and wants to hide the fact that he was just spacing out and overthinking things when he gave his answer earlier.

"But I'm advanced!" Mingyu says, his little pout slipping out from underneath his scarf, "I can help you, hyung!"

"Just worry about your little contest, you nerd." Wonwoo ruffles Mingyu's hair and laughs when the younger moves to jokingly bite at his hand.

Wonwoo might be worried about Mingyu's social sacrifice with those contests, but only because he knows  _he_ can't do it; because he's Wonwoo and big crowds and competitions just aren't for him.

But Mingyu's a smart puppy who loves attention, so he'll pull through, one way or another.

 

* * *

 

Mingyu's constant training made his schedule stretch on for later than Wonwoo.

His dismissal got late enough for his dad to pick him up, leaving Wonwoo to go home alone; with the exception of the rare occasions that Seokmin doesn't get picked up.

It upset Wonwoo at first, only because he didn't expect Mingyu to go home _that_ late and waited for him on the shed.

It took Wonwoo passing up at least two buses to realize that Mingyu wasn't coming home with him that day.

So he went home upset, because it was _cold_ and he waited for almost an _hour_ and Mingyu didn't even _tell_ _him_ that he was coming home late.

He might've also cried, but he's not telling anyone that. And even if he does, he'll just say that the wind was just so cold and kept blowing on his face, making him tear up.

Nobody needs to know that waiting for nothing made him cry.

He tried to ignore Mingyu to show that he's mad at him, but it only upset him more, so he ends up missing his friend and inviting him over on the weekend to play games.

And when Wonwoo silently hands Mingyu a controller, Mingyu looks at him with a confused expression, asking him if he was okay.

"Of course I'm okay, Mingyu," Wonwoo says, starting up the console, "why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno, you just look sad."

"I'm not sad." Wonwoo was looking at the TV screen, and when the game loads he immediately starts choosing his character.

Half an hour into the game, though, Mingyu mutters, "You never let me win on these."

Wonwoo stays quiet.

"...and you haven't won a single game today."

Wonwoo sighs, before pausing the game and hanging his head low, embarrassed and unprepared for this conversation.

"Hyung, what's wrong?" Mingyu sets his controller down, sitting closer to Wonwoo and peering at him.

Wonwoo sighs again, before he starts telling Mingyu about him waiting on the shed, not knowing that Mingyu wouldn't come. He leaves the part about him crying, though, but Mingyu still looks positively ashamed of himself.

The younger boy ends up hugging the older and apologizing to him over and over again, telling him that he can stop training altogether so Wonwoo could have company in going home again, which Wonwoo quickly declines, because he can go home himself, thank you very much. And when Mingyu insists, Wonwoo smacks him lightly on the head with a controller and suddenly plays the game, winning his first round for that day.

 

* * *

 

It took Wonwoo some getting used to, going home alone. He would fold his fingers over his lap and squeeze them together, trying to imitate the way Mingyu would play with his hands, then lean his head on the bus window to feel his brain get all blended up because it just didn't feel right.

It took some time, yes, but he did get used to it eventually.

Mingyu had been training for almost three weeks and his competition is going to be on the fourth, so Wonwoo has to endure his alone-ness for another week and a half.

He does miss Mingyu, but they see each other on weekends, and this competition is important to him, so he's in no place to complain.

He's got Seokmin to keep him company sometimes anyway, and the boy quickly picks up on his strange behavior. It's on the third time they went home together that Seokmin speaks up about it.

"Hyung, do you have a crush on Mingyu?"

See, Wonwoo prides himself in saying that he can quickly adapt and get used to the way a person is, but Seokmin... _Seokmin_ is an exception to a lot of things.

And he really caught him off guard with that question.

"Wh-what do you mean do I have a crush on him?" Wonwoo stutters, the air around him suddenly feels ten degrees colder.

"Well..." Seokmin starts, "My mom keeps teasing my brother about a crush, because he always looks sad and rejected, like you do right now."

"I do not look-" Wonwoo trails off, eyes wide, before taking a shaky inhale, "Mingyu is my best friend, I can't have a crush on him! We're both boys!"

"But you always hold hands and he hugs you a lot and it doesn't look like he's scared of you giving him cooties unlike those girls in class that like him and-"

Wonwoo covers Seokmin's mouth with his hands because he can't stand to hear another word from him. He also questions why, of all days, the bus decides to be arrive late today.

"And _what_?" Wonwoo says in a threatening tone, before pulling his hands away from Seokmin and backing up a bit.

"And ever since he started training, you look all sad, like my brother, you don't smile too much anymore..." Seokmin says, wincing a little bit at the look on Wonwoo's face and puling his arms up to shield himself from the incoming attack.

But it doesn't come, because Wonwoo sits back down and lets the words absorb, he didn't think that he looked _that_ sad, he didn't think it would be _noticeable_ , "I... what?"

"Hyung," Seokmin starts after putting his arms down, sitting a bit closer to Wonwoo but still keeping his distance, _just in case_ , "you haven't looked happy ever since."

Wonwoo feels his cheeks heat up, and he doesn't understand why. Talking about his best friend shouldn't make him all flustered like this, he just _misses_ him, that's all.

it's normal to miss your friend... right?

"Hyung?" Seokmin waves his hand in front of Wonwoo's face, "You okay?"

Wonwoo shakes his head, he spaced out again, "I'm, yeah, I'm okay."

"Good. Okay." Seokmin says awkwardly, and the bus arrives then, the pressurized doors making a sound too loud for Wonwoo's ears.

He bolts for it.

When he sits back down on the seat near the window, he thinks he could have some peace and quiet to mull over that wretched conversation, but Seokmin sits next to him, and Wonwoo wrings his hands together to contain himself.

"So... _do_ you have a crush on Mingyu?"

To Seokmin, Wonwoo looks like he just short-circuited, especially when the boy in question almost slams his head on the window.

And maybe Wonwoo _has_ short-circuited, cause he's trying to ignore the fact that he let himself become miserable over such a small thing as not going home with Mingyu, and that he might be missing him too much for it to be considered _friendly_.

But no.

Wonwoo does _not_ have a crush on Mingyu.

 

* * *

 

Wonwoo falls ill on the day of Mingyu's contest.  
  
And if Wonwoo was sad in the weeks prior, then he’s even sadder now, because he’s going to miss Mingyu's competition and all of the things he’s been training for.  
  
What’s even _sadder_ , is he already got his ticket ready, he had a banner, too! He was even supposed to sit next to Seokmin near the front so Mingyu could see the banner he made for him.  
  
All in all, he's just sad because he wouldn’t be there to support his best friend.  
  
What if Mingyu looks for him in the crowd and doesn’t spot him and gets _distracted_ and doesn’t hear the questions and gets _eliminated_ on the _first round_ and _holy cheeseburgers_ Wonwoo's mind was going haywire with possibilities.  
  
Curse those freaking allergens for being present and making his face swell. He looks like he’s been stung by a bee, ten times, particularly on the left side of his face _only_.

Gosh, Wonwoo was a mess.  
  
He lies down on his bed the whole day, trying not to pull any faces through his frustration with his situation. He watches the clock hung above his door, imagines the hours pass by with echoes of microphones and scratching of chalk over little chalkboards as Mingyu walks through the...  
  
Wait, Mingyu?  
  
Wonwoo is so confused, what is Mingyu doing in front of him right now?  
  
The confusion must show on his face, because Mingyu giggles after looking at him for longer than necessary, “Hi, hyung.”  
  
"Huh?” Wonwoo mutters, before looking up at the clock again and seeing that it's already 5pm, Mingyu's competition is already finished, and Wonwoo just slept for a whooping four hours.  
  
Wow, his meds must’ve gotten the best of him today.  
  
“Hyung, it’s me, it’s Mingyu?” Mingyu sits down beside him the bed and then chuckles, “Oh no… you’re ugly today.”  
  
If only Wonwoo had the strength, he would smack Mingyu upside the head, but he doesn’t so he just tries to glare at Mingyu instead; which _hurts_ because his left eye is swollen and he honestly hates his allergens right now.  
  
"Shut up.” Wonwoo tries to say, but it probably sounds like 'swat off' or something, because the next second, Mingyu's a cackling mess on the floor.  
  
Wonwoo groans at him, he shouldn’t be enjoying his best friend’s pain, what kind of friend _is he_?  
  
He stops, eventually, and wipes the tears beneath his eyes, “Okay, hyung, I got good news and bad news, what'cha wanna hear first?”  
  
"Good.”  
  
“Good? Okay.” Mingyu takes a deep breath, “The good news is, I won.”  
  
Wonwoo makes a little celebratory noise and Mingyu laughs at him again because Wonwoo's wincing the next second, _ah the pain_.  
  
"Bad news is…” Mingyu drags out, looking at Wonwoo like he’s sorry about something, “I only won second place.”  
  
Mingyu's still looking at Wonwoo like he’s genuinely sorry, he can’t understand why, though; Mingyu still won, that’s good enough for Wonwoo.  
  
Wonwoo looks at Mingyu, before trying to say “Mingyu, that’s still good, you still won!” But he doesn’t know if Mingyu understood what he said.  
  
Maybe he did, though, because Mingyu follows up with, “It was only _one_ point, hyung! So close!”  
  
Wonwoo rolls his eyes, Mingyu won’t ever know when to be content, will he?  
  
“And it's funny because,” Mingyu giggles, his eyes making little crescents like the story's the funniest thing in the world, “you wanna know what got me?”  
  
Wonwoo nods, and he feels Mingyu's hand taking his, tangling their fingers together before giving him such a soft smile,  
  
“Olfactory.”  
  
Wonwoo closes his eyes and takes a deep breath because, _god_ , this is what Mingyu gets for not listening to him.  
  
"I can’t believe you.” Wonwoo tries to say, and Mingyu just smiles at him, squeezing his hand again, before Mingyu's smile falls and he looks down.  
  
"I’m really sorry for only getting second place, hyung,” He starts before meeting Wonwoo's eyes, “it feels like I wasted all the time I trained and left you all alone. I couldn’t win even after spending all that time—”  
  
Wonwoo cuts him off by digging his nails at the back of Mingyu's hand, Mingyu winces, “Hyung! I'm just really sorry!”  
  
Wonwoo digs his nails in again and Mingyu pulls his hand away, giving Wonwoo a quick glare, before he takes his hand again.  
  
“Okay, I get it. No more a-pologizing.” Mingyu says, stuttering at _apologizing_ , “But I have another good news!”  
  
Wonwoo raises his right eyebrow.  
  
“I'm gonna be our school's third grade representative in Mathlete!” Mingyu says, raising the hand that isn’t holding Wonwoo's, before doing the jazz hands.  
  
_Oh gosh, he’s doing the jazz hands._  
  
Wonwoo blinks at him, feeling like the news just smacked his swollen face and mocked him for it, because he thought Mingyu would be back after _this_ contest, which obviously won't happen anymore... but then he feels Mingyu run his thumb over the back of his hand, sees him smile so bright, and everything was okay again.  
  
He’s _happy_ for Mingyu.  
  
Mingyu might not have won today, but with a brain like his, opportunities are just gonna keep on coming and one day he’s going to ace it.

Wonwoo just knows it.  
  
So he tries his best to smile back at his best friend, and Mingyu rubs the back of Wonwoo's hand again, “I'll do my best next time, hyung. I hope you’re proud of me.”

And yeah, Wonwoo is.

But he’s gonna have to get used to Seokmin's company on the bus.  
  
Highly unlikely, though.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoyed :) see u on the next chapters!


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